Black Women and Girls: Sex Trafficking in the U.S.

1 Snapshot on the State of Black Women and Girls: Sex Trafficking in the : Samantha DaveySnapshot on the State of Black Women and Girls: Sex Trafficking in the on the State of Black Women and Girls: Sex Trafficking in the of Sex Trafficking in the : PolarisTo better understand the high rates of sex Trafficking among Black Women and girls, research has indicated the continued sexualization of Black Women and girls bodies which has played out since slavery. The myths around Black Women and girls hypersexuality cannot be ignored when researching sex Trafficking . Furthermore, the continued treatment of Black girls as older than their age must be explored when looking at the data surrounding the prevalent rates of domestic sex Trafficking of Black girls.

2 In addition, the intersecting factors like low socioeconomic status, child welfare involvement, detachment from education, criminal justice involvement, and history of physical/sexual abuse must be addressed. These factors contribute to the increased vulnerability of sex Trafficking . Compared to their racial counterparts, Black Women and girls suffer higher rates of these combined factors. The importance of analyzing sex Trafficking is evident, but the factors discussed above which contribute to the likelihood of being trafficked are often ignored or overlooked. In order to create a more comprehensive approach to studying the high rates of sex Trafficking among Black Women and girls, the intersecting factors must be studied all together.

3 By studying the racial disparities across these particular factors, the blame is placed off victims and the larger structural implications are revealed. The objective of these series of fact sheets is to address the issue of sex Trafficking , specifically among the population of Black Women and girls. Throughout this series, the fact sheets also aim to highlight the importance of promoting policies which safeguard Black Women and OF FACT SHEETSC ompared to their racial counterparts, Black girls are more likely to be trafficked at a younger to the FBI, of all juvenile prostitution arrests are Black children.

4 Through a two-year review of all suspected human Trafficking incidents across the country, 40% of sex Trafficking victims were identified as Black an interview with the Urban Institute, traffickers admittedly believe Trafficking Black Women would land them less jail time than Trafficking White Women if TRAFFICKINGS ource: Rights 4 Girls, Urban Institute on the State of Black Women and Girls: Sex Trafficking in the status is one of the top contributors in increasing the chances of sex Trafficking . Black girls are more likely to experience poverty than their racial counterparts.

5 Traffickers tend to target individuals with Black Women with a low socioeconomic to unemployment, debt, and need to provide for themselves and their children, many victims are less likely to leave the situation to make ends STATUSS ource: Rights 4 Girls, Institute for Women s Policy Research, PolarisSexual and physical abuse are two of the top contributors in increasing the chances of sex ABUSEB lack girls are more likely to experience sexual and physical abuse than their racial who experience partner violence pose a higher risk of being sex trafficked. Of Women who called the National Hotline, percent were trafficked by their with psychological and economic abuse, sex traffickers are likely to employ physical and sexual violence over Women to maintain : Rights 4 Girls, PolarisSnapshot on the State of Black Women and Girls: Sex Trafficking in the conducted in 2012 showed that around 85% of those who bought sex on the internet were White men.

6 In Pennsylvania, 22% of arrests are for purchasing sex, but only 78% of prostitution arrests are for selling sex. Trafficking TRAFFICKER RELATIONSHIP&Source: Grantmakers for Girls of Color, Rights 4 GirlsChild welfare involvement, specifically out-of-home foster care placement, is one of the top contributors in increasing the chances of sex Trafficking . THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEMB lack children are overrepresented in the foster care system. Although they make up fourteen percent of children in the , Black children make up twenty three percent of the foster care system. More than 23,000 children will age out of the foster care system every year.

7 After reaching the age of 18, 20% of the children who are in foster care will become instantly homelessA report conducted in 2016 by NCMEC found that 86% of the likely sex Trafficking victims were in the care of social services when they went : Rights 4 Girls, Child Trends, National Foster Youth Institute, National Center for Missing and Exploited ChildrenSnapshot on the State of Black Women and Girls: Sex Trafficking in the children are 10 times more likely to be sexually abused. Black children are sexually abused twice as much as their White counterparts in the foster care system.

8 California is ranked as having the highest number of reported cases of human Trafficking in the The largest county in California, Los Angeles County, reported 92% of girls in the juvenile justice system identified as victims of sex Trafficking are Black . Of those, 62% were from the child welfare only are Black girls overrepresented in foster care, but they are structurally disadvantaged by systematic racial disparities within the foster care IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEMB lack girls are more likely to experience family instability, poverty, disconnection from the education system, and physical and sexual : Rights 4 Girls, Darkness to LightBlack Women and girls are disproportionately effected in missing and murder statistics.

9 MISSING AND MURDERED Black WOMENB lack girls are more likely to run away from foster care than their racial girls who are runaways are more likely to be targeted by sex traffickers. In 2014, the homicide rate for Black Women was per 100,000. Source: AFCARS, Polaris, Violence Policy ,000 PERS napshot on the State of Black Women and Girls: Sex Trafficking in the ADULTIFICATION AND SEXUALIZATION OF Black GIRLSS ource: The Center on Poverty and Inequality The Center on Poverty and Inequality created a study which found that adults viewed Black girls less innocent and more adult like than white girls.

10 The sexualization and adultification of Black girls contributes to a school to prison study found that compared to White girls of the same age Black girls were viewed as in need of less nurturing, less protection, less support, less comfort, are more independent, know more about adult topics, and know more about to attributing these characteristics to Black girls, there may be a suggested influence for law officials to criminalize Black girls, rather than seeing them as victims. In the context of sex Trafficking , discretion enables racial bias implicit or explicit to shape who is viewed as a perpetrator and who is viewed as a victim.